Conveyer and door and method of operating same



May 1, 19 28. 1,667,737

a A. s. NICHOLS v CONVEYER AND DOOR AND METHOD OF OPERATING SAME Filed Feb. 21, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 g N a Q A v ATTO'RNEY May 1, 1928. 1,667,737

A. s. NICHOLS v CONVEYER AND DOOR AND METHOD OF OPERATING SAME 1 119;! Feb. 21, 1924 5 Shets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY May I 1928 A. s. NICHOLS CONVQYER AND DOOR AND MFTI-iOD- 0F OPERATING SAME Filed Feb. 21, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR ATTORNEY A. S. NICHOLS CONVEYER AND DOOR AND METHOD OF OPERATING SAME May 1, 1928.

Filed Feb. 21, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY Mail, 1928. 1,667,737 7 A. s. NICHOLS CONVEYER AND DOOR AND METHOD OF OPERATING SAME Filed Feb. 21, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY Patented May 1, 1928.

AARON S. NICHOLS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CONVEYER AND DOOR AND METHOD OF-OPERATING sum.

Application filed February 21, I924. Serial ITO/694,308.

My invention relates to method of and apparatus for operating conveyors and doors, where the conveyors are arranged to move "from one room or compartment to another. It often happens, and particularly in manufacturing OPGlittlOllS, that a certain part of work will be done on an article of manufacture while it is moving through a room, and that other operations will be done in another room to which the article is conveyed, andsometimes the atmospheric conditions such as temperature, humidity, or other conditions, will be quite different in the two rooms, and it'is advisable to maintain normal conditions as far as possible. For instance in the embodiment of my invention which I have chosen to illustrate, conveyers are used to move automobile bodies from one room where certain work is done on them, as for example painting or varnishing, or both, and the bodies are conveyed as fast as the work is done into an adjoining room, which may be a dry room. Obviously the temperature and conditions in the dry room will be quite different from what said conditions are in the work intended to meet conditions of this kind, and provide means for conveying the arti cles under manufacture from one room to the other by moving the individual elements or parts of the conveyer which carries them through a door or doors in such a way as to separate the elements passing through the door from the general body of the conveyer, to the end that the doors or door may be quickly opened and shut after the conveying element has passed through, thus preventing the air from one room from permeating to too great an extent into the next room. In other words I provide for moving the doors to allow the conveyor parts to pass through, and in which the conveyer elements will automatically separate themselves from the remaining part of the conveyor and per,- mit the quick and easy closing of the doors. Obviously this idea may be carried out in many ways with many forms of conveyors and with a great variety of doors, and my invention relates more particularly to the general arrangement for permitting the above results to be obtained, all of which will appear more clearly from the desoription which follows.

Reference is to be had tothe accompanying drawings forming a part of this speciroom. My invention is fication, in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding" parts in all the views. v

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan of a form of conveyor adapted for use in the workroom and dry room of a plant handling automobile bodies and the like, showing the door between adjacent rooms closed.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 with the doors asv they appear while an element of the conveyor is passing through them.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figures 1 and 2 but showing the independent movement of one of the elements of the conveyer door and as it has as itpasses through a become separated from the other elements of the conveyer to permit the closing of the doors.

Figure 4Qis a diagrammatic elevation of the apparatus referred figures.

s Figure 5 is a cross sectional view showing one of the conveyerelements in end elevation and in contact with the door opening means. i

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view showing how the operating railsor plungers are arranged. s

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view showing the support for the main rail or plunger,

Figure 8 is a showing more in detail means. p M

Figure 9 is a sectional'elevation showing the relation of the main and auxiliary rails for moving the conveyor elements and with the door operating to in the foregolng broken enlarged plan view 7 the main rail connecting with the adjacent Y element or truck.

Figure 10 1s a viewsimilar to Figure 9 showing another position of the parts with v Figure 14 is a view similar to Figure 13v with the first set of doors closed and the second set opened.

Figure 15 shows a further movement of the parts and with the first element of the conveyer spaced apart from the others.

Figure 16 is a broken plan of the rail and cable mechanism for moving the convcyer parts.

Figure 1.7 is a similar view with the parts in a different position and showing the means for giving an additional movement to the individual conveyor elements, and

Figures 18 to 21 are details showing progressively the means for giving an additional impulse or movement to the individual conveyer elements.

From the description which follows it will be understood that my invention can be ap plied to any conveyer havingspaced elements moving through a door opening, and with the object of opening and closing the doors as each conveyer element or each separate part of the conveyor passes through. By wayof example I have illustrated the invention as applied to a plant in which automobile bodies or the like are each carried on a. separte platform or truck, so that work may be done upon it, and the conveyor carries the bodies through the doors of the partition wall. after this work has been done, and into the connecting dry room or other room. The form of conveyor in detail is not material.

As shown, parallel reciprocating rails or plungers 10 are used, which are operated by mechanism shown at 11, and the rails can be supported in any convenient way, as for instance upon the roller 12 mounted in a suit; able support 13. Each plunger runs through the doorway of the partition wall 14, and in the example shown, each plunger carries spaced elements 15 which in the present instance are platforms, each adapted to contain a car body 20. The plunger 10 at each stroke moves a distance of the length of the platform of truck 15. These are slightly spaced for reasons of economy, and in passing through the doors of'the partitimi 14 they must of necessity become more widely separated to insure proper operation of the doors. As a means of connecting the main rail or plunger 10 with the platforms or trucks 15, the latter has each a catch in the form of a transverse angle iron 16 on the under side which is engaged by a dog 17 pivoted on the rail as shown in F ipnre 9, this dog being pivoted as shown at 18, and having a weighted tail 19 lying on the web of the rail. Thus the dog will engage the catch 16 so as to advance the platform 5., and on the return movement of the rail or plunger, the dog will slip beneath the catch as in Figure 10.

l Vhere the conveyor comprising the rail ll) and platforms 15 passes through the wall 14,

doors 21 are provided and these may be of many forms without affecting the invention, although I prefer to use self closing; doors, and a door is preferably made up of two elements 21 hinged on opposite sides of the door opening. lfilach door or member 21 in order that it may he opened autou'iatically, has preferably a triangular abutment 22 having two walls a which meet as in Figure 1 when the door members 21 meet edge to edge, and surfzu'cs 7) which are parallel with the partition 14 when the door members are closed. Any one of several means may be provided for rendering the door self-closing but as illustration of the idea, springs 21 are shown in the figures.

The abutments 22 can be in the form of rails, and may have an internal. brace 23 if desired. This arrangementis such that the abutments 22 come opposite the edges of the platform 15, and when the doors are closed as in Figure- 1, they are substantially parallel with the partition 14. Thus when the platform 15 is advanced, its front end will strike flatwise against the surfaces 6 of the abutmcnts 2-2, thereby pushing open the doors, and the abutnicnts will ridealong the side edges of the platform 15 as it passes throu rlr- After the platform has passed through, the doors quickly close behind it.

To enable the doors to operate quickly and to close quickly, means is provided to separate the elcment'or platform 15 passing through a door from those immediately following, and this independent movement permits the doors to close quickly, thus preventing any great interchange of air between the adjacent rooms. As a convenient means of doing this I have shown an auxiliary rail or plunger 24. which arranged adjacent to the door way and can be supported on rollers 12 (see Figure 6). This auxiliary rail is made to slide in opposite directions from the rail 10 so that when the rail 10 moves forward, the auxiliary rail will move backward, and vice-versa, and the auxiliary rail is provided with dogs 25 like the dogs 17 already referred to, and spaced so as to at the proper time engage the catches 16 as presently described. As a means of connecting the main and auxiliary rails, spaced pulleys 26 are shown (see F igure 8) turning on vertical studs 27, and support-ed on pedestals 28 or the like. The pu1leys'26 carry cables 29 which connect by a bracket 80 or the like (see Figure 5) with the main rail. The cable 29 also connects by a bracket 31 with the auxiliary rail, 24:, and so the rails 10 and 2- 1- move at the same time but in opposite directions.

In Figure 1 1 have shown a line of platforms approaching the closed doors 21, and as the front platform or truck strikes the abutn'ients 22, it opens the doors. A dog 17 of a main rail 10 engages the catches 16 as in Figure 9 to effect the foregoing movement. Meanwhile the pulleys 26 will have been turned by reason ofthe Connection already described, so as to carry the dog 25 of the auxiliary rail 24: behind the catch 16 of the front car, the dog tipping up as shown in Figure 10 to permit this, and the dog passing well behind the catch as in Figure 11 to insure perfect contact. Then asthe main rail 10- moves back to engage another platform the auxiliary rail 24 will. move forward, its dog engaging the catch 16 as in Figure 12, and carrying the platform 15 quickly forward through the doors and spacing it from them as in Figure 3, thereby permitting the doors to shut quickly behind the said advanced platform 15. Thus it will be seen that the conveyer elements, which in the case illustrated are the platforms '15, are separated as they pass the doors, thereby permitting the quickclosing of the latter, and thus the doors are opened but a short space of time, the operation of the conveyor is not interfered with, and the passage of air from'one room to the other is limited.

In Figures 13 to 15 I have shown a slight modification of the invention which can be. used, and which still further prevents the escape of air. 7 As here illustrated, vestibules or sleeves 34 are arranged in connection with the parts 14, these vestibules being each of the length of one of the elementsor platforms 15. The platforms are operated as already described, and the vestibules have doors like those described, only they are arranged at both ends. Thus as in Figure 13, he platform will open the first pair of doors and enter 'the 'vestibule, while the second pair of doors are closed.- Then as the front platform is given its independent movement as already described, the first pair of doors will close, thereby preventing the escape of. air from one room to the other, and the second pair will open as in Figure 14; then as another platforn'i' enters tl e vestibule as in Figure 15, the first platform will be independently advanced through the second pair of doors and spaced apart as in Figure 15.

In Figures 16 to 21 I have shown a means which can be used for giving an additional impulse to each truck or element 15 as it leaves the door, so as to make sure that its catch 16 will be engaged by the proper dog 17 on the rail 10 so as to advance it regularly out of the way of the following elements. Many devices might be used for this purpose, but a simple means is illustrated in which a lever 32 is pivoted to the auxiliary rail 24 as shown at- 33, and its upper end extends into the path of the catches 16 as shown in Figure 18, and its lower end extends into the path of a fixed abutment, as for instance the bent end. of an arm 36 which can be-supported on the post orpedestal 28. It will be an advancing element or platthe lever 32 as shown noticed that form 15 will pass over in. Figure 19, and the latter will drop behind the catch 16 as in Figure 20. Then as the auxiliary rail nearsthe limit of its forward stroke, the lower end of the'lever the abutment 35, will tilt on its pivot, and

the upper end acting against the catch 16 of the adjacent platform 15, will give to the latter an added push or impulse so as to carry it forward to a point where it will be sure to be engaged bythe proper dog of the mainrail 10. 9

From the foregoing clearly seen that in the description it will be instance illustrated the materials which are car bodies, can be operated" on in the roomA, then passed to the dry room B without permitting any great interchange of air between thetwo rooms; The conveyer illustrated is one 'of ordinary form, but the general system of op erating the doors from the 'conveyer and separating the conveyor elements to'permit the quickaction of the doors, is believed to be new; Obviously there is no necessity/ of showing a greatvariety of conveyers and doors and ope 'atmg means, as any mechanic can readily'see that the principle herein "de-V scribed can be applied tomany types'of conveyors and doors, and theessential thing is to have-the conveyer arranged so that it will openthe door in front of each of its carrying .elen'ients, and close it behind said element as it passes through. It will be further observed that to carry this principle into effeet in the most practical and economic way, it is desirable tovhave the carrying'element movable independent of the other elements of the conveyer, to provide for theseparation necessary tothe successful operation of the doors, and further, thatit is better to have the movement' of the element as it passes the door accelerated, to the end that the separation *ofthe parts of the conveyer may be quickly effected and the doors quickly operated. r

In the method and apparatus described. a saving in heat is effected. The prevailing practice is to withdraw the heated air from a drying room by means of an exlmust fan and duets with suchforce or power that the excess hot air that is provided for the dry ing room may be drawn out ofthetunnellike room before it reaches the open ends of the oven or tunnel, which in theprescnt case is reprcsentedby B. This practice never takes out all of this heated air, infect the loss of heatsuggested this invention, as with 32 striking its use the saving in steamlor heat will rethe cost of'installing the'closed ends to short. time, re-

a tunnel drying oven in a gardless of cost of ducts, fans and constant motive power. I

The cost of attaching this device to open end ovens or tunnels is comparatively small,

and requires no additional power other than is provided to operate the conveyer, and the important thing is to separate the cars 01' carrying elements at a point opposite the doors to permit the doors to automatically close. Thus no space is Wasted, as the oven, or tunnels or dry rooms represented by B can be filled practically full.

I claim .1. Anapparatus of the kind described comprising a reciprocating element, spaced carrying elements actuated thereby, a doorway having self closing doors, means for opening the doors by the passage of a carry ing element between them, and means for accelerating the movement of the carrying element passing through the doors thereby permitting the quick closing of the doors behind it. v

2. An apparatus of the kind described comprising a reciprocating plunger, carrying elements carried by theplunger, a. doorway through which the carrying elements pass, doors for the doorway, and means actuated by the back stroke of the plunger for advancing the forward carrying element through and away from the doors.

3. An apparatus of the kind described con'iprising a conveyor having a reciprocating plunger. carrying elements advanced by the forward movement of the plunger, a doorway through which the carrying elements pass, means for opening-and closing the doors of the doorway as a carrying element passes through the doorway. and means actuated by the back stroke of the plunger for independently moving a carrying element while the latter passes through and away from the doorway.

4. An apparatus of the kind described comprising a conveyer having a reciprocating rail. carrying elements carried by the rail, a doorway having self closing doors through which the carrying elements pass, an auxiliary rail connected with the main rail so as to move at the same time but in an opposite direction. and a connection between the auxiliary rail and the forward carrying element whereby the back stroke of the plunger causes the auxiliary rail to move the carrying element through the doorway.

5. An apparatus of the kind described comprising a conveyor having a reciprocating main rail. carrying elements connected with said main rail so as to be moved forward by the forward movement of said rail, a doorway having self closing doors through which the carrying elements pass, an auxiliary rail movable parallel with the main rail, and an operative connection between the auxiliary rail and the forward carrying element whereby the auxiliary rail moves said element on the back stroke of the main rail.

6.'An apparatus of the kind described comprising spaced carrying elements, a reciprocating element for advancing the carrying elements step by step, an auxiliary element adjacent the reciprocating element for further advancing said carrying elements, and means connecting said reciprocating element and said auxiliary element for operating the latter whereby the back stroke of the reciprocating element causes the aux iliary element to move forwardly to advance the carrying elements. i

7. An apparatus of the kind described comprising spaced carrying elements, a reciprocating element for advancing the carrying elements step by step, an auxiliary ele-, ment adjacent the reciprocating element for a portion of the length of the latter, and means operated by said reciprocating element for moving said auxiliary element in unison and parallel therewith but in oppo-.

site directions thereto whereby to. further advance the carrying elements upon the back stroke of the reciprocating element.

8. An apparatus of the kind described comprising spaced carrying elements, a door through which said elements pass, a main rail. adapted to impart movement to said 'arrying elements, an auxiliary rail arranged to give an independent movement to each of said elements as they pass through the door, and means for giving an additional push to each of said elements as they approach the limit of the independent movement. 7

9. An apparatus of the kind described con'iprising spaced carrying elements, a door through which the elements pass, a main rail arranged to impartmovement to said elements, an auxiliary rail arranged to impart independent movement to the carrying elements passing through the door, a tilting lever carried by the auxiliary rail and in the path of a corresponding catch on a carrying element, and an abutment in the path of the lever whereby the movement of the auxiliary rail causes the lever to advance the aforesaid element.

10. An apparatus of the kind described comprising a plurality of spaced elements, reciprocating means for moving said elements, and means for increasing the speed of movement of the foremost element when it reaches a certain point in the path of movementof said elements.

11. An apparatus of the kind described comprising a plurality of spaced elements. a reciprocating member for moving said elements step by step, and another reciprocating member having means for engaging the foremost element for increasing the speed of movement of the foremost element when it reaches a certain point in the path of movement of said elements.

12. An apparatus of the class described comprising a plurality of spaced elements,

a reciprocating member for moving said elements step by step, and another reciprocating member having means for engaging the foremost element for increasing the speed of movement of the foremost element When it reaches a certain point in the path of movement of said elements, thereciprocations of said members being out of. phase.

13. An apparatus of the class described comprising a plurality of spaced elements, a reciprocating member for moving said elements step by step, doors in the path of movement of said elements, and another reciprocating member having means for engaging the foremost element for increasing the speed oi? movementof the foremost element when it reaches sai'd doors.

14:. An apparatus of the class described comprising a plurality of spaced elements,

for moving said a reciprocating member the path oi elements step by step, doors in phase.

movement of said elements, and another reciprocating member having means for en -ment when it reaches said doors, the reciprocations of said members being out oi ciprocations of the first.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 5th day of February, 1924.

. AARON S. NICHOLS.

An apparatus of the class described 

